1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to conveyors of the type having a surface that is movable to advance material supported thereon and a wall projecting upwardly from the conveyor surface to confine material on the conveyor surface and, more particularly, to a clamping system for a sealing element used to block passage of material between the conveyor surface and wall. The invention is also directed to a method of maintaining a sealing element on such a conveyor system.
2. Background Art
A wide range of conveyor systems are currently being used which have a belt or other conveyor surface that is movable to advance material supported thereon. At a loading location, material to be conveyed is commonly transferred by being dropped or otherwise placed onto the conveyor surface. This tends to cause some of the material to escape from the edges of the conveyor belt and onto the surrounding support surface for the conveyor system, potentially creating an unsafe work area and/or one that is environmentally detrimental To alleviate this problem, it is known to install upwardly extending containment walls which project upwardly from the conveyor surface. To avoid the escape of material from the conveyor surface by migration between the containment walls and conveyor surface, it is known to use a flexible sealing element, commonly referred to in the industry as a xe2x80x9cskirt boardxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cskirtingxe2x80x9d, or xe2x80x9cskirt board rubberxe2x80x9d. The sealing element is typically in contact with the running conveyor surface. As a result, there is progressive wear on the bottom edge of the sealing element which eventually leads to the formation of a gap through which conveying material may escape.
To alleviate this problem, the sealing element may be adjusted vertically downward to diminish or eliminate this gap. To facilitate this adjustment, commonly the sealing element is maintained in its operative position by a clamping arrangement which can be selectively tightened to maintain the sealing element in the operative position and released to allow vertical repositioning of the sealing element. These clamping arrangements have taken a wide range of different forms in the past.
The sealing elements on each side of a conveyor belt typically run anywhere from five feet to one hundred feet in length. The process required to make the adjustment after wear occurs may take anywhere from five minutes, to hours, to potentially days, depending upon the length and number of conveyors being run at a particular facility. Consequently, it is an objective of designers of clamping systems for sealing elements in these environments to facilitate quick and easy adjustment of the sealing element. At the same time, this convenience should not be afforded at the expense of functionality. Ideally, the clamping system should be designed to withstand sometimes very harsh and severe environments and continued use for long periods of time. Further, the designers of such systems must remain mindful of cost of manufacture and ease of installation.
In one form, the invention is directed to the combination of a conveying surface that is movable to advance material supported thereon, a wall projecting upwardly from the conveying surface to confine material on the conveying surface, sealing element to block passage of material between the conveying surface and wall, and a clamping system for the sealing element. The clamping system may consist of a) a locking assembly having a bearing portion that is mounted for movement relative to the wall between i) a mounting position and ii) a holding position, with the sealing element residing between the wall and the bearing portion, with the locking element in the holding position, b) a fixing element on the wall, and c) a wedge assembly having a body that cooperates with the fixing element and that is movable slidably and guidingly relative to the locking assembly between first and second positions. The wedge assembly in the second position urges the bearing portion of the locking assembly toward the sealing element with a force that is greater than a force with which the wedge assembly urges the bearing portion of the locking assembly toward the sealing element with the wedge assembly in the first position.
The body may be movable translatingly in a line as the wedge assembly is changed between the first and second positions.
The clamping system may further include a base assembly that is attached to the wall, with the locking assembly being attached to the wall through the base assembly.
The locking assembly may be pivotable relative to the base assembly for movement between the mounting and holding positions.
In one form, the locking assembly and base assembly each have a C-shaped edge, and the C-shaped edges interengage to guide pivoting movement between the locking assembly and base assembly.
The C-shaped edges may be engageable and disengageable by relatively moving the locking assembly and base assembly.
In one form, the fixing element consists of a bolt with a head, and the bolt head is captively held against the wall by the base assembly.
In one form, the bearing portion of the locking assembly consists of a V-shaped element with free edges which simultaneously bear against the sealing element with the locking assembly in the holding position.
In one form, the body of the wedge assembly consists of an elongate slot through which the fixing element extends and a cam surface. The fixing element has a shank which extends through the elongate slot and an enlargement on the shank which is guided against the cam surface as the wedge assembly is changed between the first and second positions.
The shank may be threaded, with the enlargement being defined by a nut which is threaded to the shank.
The nut may have a convex surface which is guided against the cam surface.
The sealing element may be clamped directly between a part of the base assembly and the bearing portion of the locking assembly.
The locking assembly and base assembly may each be made from a formed metal sheet.
The body may be movable directly against and relative to the lock assembly.
The invention is also directed to a clamping assembly for a sealing element, as described above.
The invention is further directed to a method of maintaining a sealing element in an operative position on a conveyor system having a conveying surface that is movable to advance material supported thereon and a wall projecting upwardly from the conveying surface to confine material on the conveying surface so as to block passage of material between the conveying surface and wall. The method includes the steps of attaching a locking assembly to the wall for movement relative to the wall between a mounting position and a holding position, connecting a body to a fixing element on the wall, and sliding the body guidingly relative to the fixing element from a first position into a second position and thereby camming a portion of the locking assembly against the sealing element with the sealing element in the operative position.
The fixing element may have a shank and an enlargement on the shank. The body moves guidingly against the enlargement on the shank as the body is moved from the first position into the second position.
The body may move in a substantially straight line between the first and second positions.
The method may further include the step of moving the body from the second position into the first position, and thereafter repositioning the sealing element relative to the wall and moving the body from the first position into the second position.
The step of sliding the body may involve moving the body by striking the body with an object, such as a hammer.
The method may further include the step of attaching a base assembly to the wall. The step of attaching the locking assembly to the wall may involve attaching the locking assembly to the base assembly.
The step of attaching the locking assembly to the base assembly may involve engaging the locking assembly to the base assembly for pivoting movement of the locking assembly relative to the base assembly.
The step of attaching the locking assembly to the base assembly may involve interengaging C-shaped edges on the locking assembly and base assembly.
The method may further include the step of captively holding the fixing element relative to the wall through the base assembly.